Heron Island Resort — Hotel in Heron Island

We came for the nature and nature did not disappoint. There are few places in the world where you can wake up surrounded by nesting turtles and finish the day seeing turtle hatchlings emerge from the sand to run out to sea. Our family (primary school aged kids) had an incredible 3 days without wifi or phone. Highlights included waking at 5am to walk 5 metres off our back deck to see nesting turtles, exploring the island at sunset to find turtle hatchlings, snorkelling on the reef to see turtles, stingrays, reef sharks (black tip, white tip, lemon sharks - all harmless), octopus, and an array of fish. Kids did the 1.5 hour Junior Rangers each day which they loved and our family did most of the tours available (snorkelling to outer edge of reef, semisubmersible, island walk, guided turtle walk, research station tour, stargazing). Snorkelling gear is included and was clean and well maintained. Visibility in water was variable depending on tides and weather, but mostly great. Nonetheless, in and out of the water, we were constantly in awe.

Rooms: This is not a luxury resort, but is not advertised as such. We booked the Beach House which was clean, comfortable, had a small fridge and kettle, but was costly (one of the few with air con which was very much appreciated given the 33+ degree days). We had plenty of hot water (it was warm even on cold). I have read reviews complaining about the costs, but I can understand the prices given that they need to ship all food and resources to the island from the mainland, generate their own power from solar or generator (hence most rooms have fan only), produce their own fresh water (desalination plant on the island) and there are about 100 staff for 200 guests. Staff were all passionate and lovely. Many are young people from Europe on working holiday visas. There are free washing machines, dryers and laundry powder (from reception) to use.

Food: There is only one place to eat, the Shearwater Restaurant which was well run. There are fans and it is comfortable but it is not air conditioned. There is a net surrounding the verandah to keep the birds out. Buffet breakfast is included in the room price. Lunch and dinner were a la carte and prices were $25-40 for a main course. Kids meals $15 (nuggets and chips, fish and chips, burger and chips, tomato pasta). Food was ok, akin to pub food, and some things better than others. After 3 days we had tried most things on the menu. Tastiest options were the pulled pork, sirloin steak and carbonara (made the traditional way according to the Italian waiter). Baillie's Bar offers snacks and drinks and is a comfortable area with music, swimming pool, billiards, outdoor chess and lots of board games.

Tips:

1. Wear a broad rimmed hat - it saved us from getting bird droppings on our head multiple times. It is a bird sanctuary and there are a LOT of birds everywhere. The smell of bird poo and sound of birds took us by surprise but after 24 hours we were used to it. There is bird poo everywhere but unavoidable given the enormous number of birds on the island. We are in their territory.
2. Make sure your sunscreen is reef safe (doesn't contain oxybenzone)
3. Bring snacks/non-perishable food if you want snacks that aren't chocolate or chips (available at the bar or gift shop).
4. Buy lunch before you board the ferry for the return trip back to Gladstone. Boarding is at ~12pm and you don't return to Gladstone until after 3pm and no lunch food on boat.
5. Sign up for tours as soon as you arrive (sign-up sheet in the information centre or the marine centre). If you can't get a spot on the Guided Turtle Nesting Walk at 5am (it was full the first 2 days we were there), don't worry, just walk around the island between 4:30am - sunrise and there will be turtles. It is 100% worth waking up for.
6. Turtle hatchlings were harder to spot than we thought. Waiting around the junction of Shark Bay/North Beach is a good vantage point.
7. Bring reef shoes. Or you can borrow some communal...

Our family holiday was lovely. 4 nights on Heron Island was the perfect amount of time.

The staff make the island experience. The manager Rena has created a team of people from all over the world, mostly young (20’s and maybe 30’s?), all with various university degrees (our Irish babysitter Laura who is also a zooologist mentioned this) and all with a great service orientation. Everyone was happy to help you and the level of efficiency and common sense was also unusually high. From the bar (where Bernie would do magic for the kids) to the restaurant to the various activities and dive shop and gift shop, everyone was helpful, relaxed AND efficient. The Heron team as created by Rena are both good at their jobs (all experiences went smoothly) and seemed happy to be there. This excellent warm friendly relaxed yet efficient service element elevates the experience and makes a simple resort (hotel is maybe 3 star if it were on mainland?) feel really good.

The activities we did were all led by young women with University degrees that relate to the island’s natural assets. Catie who led us reef walking is a Marine Biologist, Brittney who took us for turtle hatching walk is an Ocean scientist, and Laura is a zoologist (so she led bird walks).

Some things to note: Bring your fav snacks as the gift shop is limited Bring enough to read - I couldn’t get my kindle to connect to Wi-Fi.

Star works in the grift shop and was extremely kind - when I went there looking to buy a book, and there are none for sale - she asked me what I felt like reading then went to her room (5 min walk) and lent me two of her own personal books. That’s really above and beyond, very thoughtful and was much appreciated by me.

It’s a cashless island and I needed small cash notes to pay another individual on the island (babysitting). Rena went out of her way to locate some small bills for me. Again she could’ve said “no, sorry we are a cashless island” then sent me on my way, but she didn’t, she went and looked for me. She genuinely wanted to help me, and spent 5-10 mins doing so. That’s a service style / attitude that makes for a great hotel experience for guests.

The rooms are simple, clean, have everything you need including views of trees or ocean. It’s not luxurious, but it’s bright, comfortable and clean in the middle of the Barrier Reef. Bed was comfy (medium - I have a bad back and slept well in the bed).

There are NO MOSQUITOS. Heron island was free or biting insects and we okay saw an occasionally harmless fly.

We saw turtles hatch, birds nests, we walked the lovely little island every day. My husband snorkeled and saw turtles and sharks and coral and fish. We reef walked. And this was all in weather that was very windy and not optimal.

The other guests were quite low key and friendly which helped create the pleasant laid back atmosphere.

The restaurant has lots of options, many of them simple and healthy. It’s not gourmet but it’s totally fine, plenty of fresh veg and clean proteins and meats.

Chia seed pudding at breakfast, plain low fat yoghurt (no sugar), many fresh fruit options, a full hot breakfast I never really looked at (bacon sausages etc), croissants, toast, a good muesli, they have something for everyone to eat.

Lunch was a choice of salads and various standards - fish (grilled or battered), calamari, sweet potato fries, regular hot chips, burgers, veggie burgers etc.

Dinner was a buffet. Always lots of choices from clean simple veg or quinoa or roast veg to heavier pork ribs or beef short ribs and always a fish.

The rooms only lock from the inside for when you’re sleeping. When out during the day your stuff is not secure in the room. It doesn’t lock from the outside. We didn’t care. It felt and was safe. If you need to keep valuables safe you can leave them with reception. But a note - just don’t bring valuables you are concerned about. Keep it simple and relax and enjoy being able on the Great Barrier Reef with...

The island itself is absolutely amazing. You can see amazing sea life (lots of turtles, rays, and sharks) just by standing on the shore during high tide and looking out at the water. But the "resort" is better described as a 1-star cruise ship stuck in middle of an island.

The most important thing for you to know is this:

Do not stay here unless you're willing to take the risk of getting stuck here for several days and being charged extra. During my stay, they cancelled their standard ferry three times, and only once ordered a replacement (a smaller ferry that made many of the passengers vomit during the ride over). If they cancel without a replacement, they will shift the burden of their decision onto you by making you: (1) pay to stay on the island longer (possibly in a less desirable room) with a mere 30% price reduction or (2) pay AU$500 per person to take a seat on a helicopter to get back to Gladstone (if space is available).

Setting that aside, the beds are extraordinarily uncomfortable, the rooms are in desperate need of maintenance and updating, most of the island smells like bird shit (and you will definitely get pooped on by birds during your stay), and the rooms are very dingy. There was a hole in the ceiling in my room and lots of paint chips on the walls. My room came with a full kitchen, but no plates. We had two bedrooms that could accommodate four people, but only two towel rods.

They will tell you the resort is "keyless," which most people would assume means that the rooms have a digital or card lock system, but which actually means that you cannot lock your doors at all when you leave your room, and anyone on the island can enter them at anytime when you're not there. You can lock the doors when you are in the rooms, but the doors are quite flimsy.

There appears to be black mold growing on the ceiling in the restaurant in several areas, as well as something that has splattered on the ceiling.

Staff are friendly though often in a way that seems forced. Of the foreign workers, a good number have only a very basic grasp of English, and so communicating with them is sometimes difficult. For example, our restaurant orders were often wrong in one way or another when our order was taken by a staff member for whom English was a second language.

Many staff lack basic knowledge about the resort. For example, we received a flyer that indicated that if we needed distilled water, I could get it at the bar, but when I went to the bar, the people working there had no idea what I was asking for. Eventually, I was referred to the the resort nurse, who incorrectly told me that the tap water in the resort is pure water that is desalinated from the ocean, and that I could use that. But, I found that the tap water had a strong chlorine smell, and the maintenance man at the resort later confirmed that they do add chlorine, that the tap water is definitely not pure as the nurse had claimed. If you need distilled water, BTW, you want to ask for maintenance Matt, as he knows what it is and where to find it (though in AU it will be called demineralized water).

Similarly, the resort will tell you that they have paid wifi access only in the bar, reception, and restaurant, but that is also not true. Most of the northwest side of the Island will get it, including all of the higher priced rooms between reception and the jetty (at least outside and near the windows).

They also falsely claim that the AU$25.00 per day gives you "unlimited internet access," but the truth is that you are limited to 5 Mbps down and 2.5 Mbps up with a larger burst during the first second or two. There's also a total per day data cap, but I can't remember what it is. You're also limited to two devices, though that limitation is actually disclosed.

Update: I see that HIR responded to my review here, and invited me to visit again. To that, I respond: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice,...